What threshold defines Category 3 in the Salmonella Verification Testing Program?

• A. 4%
• B. 50% of the standard
• C. 7.5%
• D. 10%

Answer: (C)

In the Salmonella Verification Testing Program, facilities are grouped based on how often Salmonella is recovered in verification tests—the percent positive across the testing period acts as the threshold for category placement. The boundary for Category 3 is 7.5%, meaning if the proportion of positive verification results reaches or exceeds 7.5%, the facility falls into Category 3 and faces the program’s higher level of oversight and corrective actions. For example, testing 800 samples with 60 positives yields 7.5%, meeting that threshold. The other options don’t fit the defined cutoffs: 4% would place you at a stricter boundary than Category 3, 10% is a different cutoff, and “50% of the standard” isn’t a typical percent-based threshold used in this context.